Mays said he was surprised at the results but offered his congratulations to Middleton for the unofficial win. When asked if issues surrounding Middleton's lawsuit had any effect on the race, Mays said he didn't know.

Middleton took an unorthodox approach to running his campaign, forgoing donations and opting to visit every house in Sherwood in a grassroots fashion. While he went through three pairs of shoes, it appears his tactic struck a chord with voters.

"I've received a ton of calls this morning from people thanking me for that," he said Wednesday morning.

Before he takes office, Middleton said he'll focus his preparation on getting up to speed on the urban redevelopment in town, the traffic study with the Southwest Corridor plan and start working with the budget.

He said he wants to reduce expenditures by either reducing some
departments, such as planning, or moving them to other departments that
need help.

Middleton added that one of his main priorities will be establishing a good relationship with the current council, especially those that may have voted for Mays.